Hello all. Despite the fact that my wife has put a one vintage car limit on me for the time being, the car gods are ignoring her wishes and throwing all sorts of interesting "deals" my way.

One in particular is my buddies 1978 924, affectionately known as the "copper cruiser". He's moving to california and is just looking to out from underneath it for cheap, how cheap i am trying to figure out.


What I know:

1) Needs a waterpump/timing belt. From what i hear its about a 4 hour job.

2) Early 924s aren't particularly fast or handle well, i would buy this car for soul factor primarily. It would be a more fun commuter than my Volvo 240.


What I'd like is some opinions on the car: what goes wrong, is it reliable enough, decent car if i can get it dirt cheap and throw a water pump in there?


Thanks all...Drew


p.s. There's a pic of it in my blog....link in my signature

Drew,

I had a '76 for 4 years. Yeah, it was a bit of slug but I take issue with the handling. Some decent shocks & bars turned into a really fun autocross car. Other than minor performance mods, it served me well. Poor 924's get too much bad press, sorta like some "other" 4 cylinder Porsche we all know of.

I would speak to the wife & try to convince her that it could be a very good daily driver all seasons of the year (for you, not her). Oh, I forgot to mention - the factory A/C system really sucked.

I had a 79 back in the middle 80s.


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It is the only car I ever named that I don't regret selling....



AC worked really well though.

wow, talk about polar opposite responses...

Clay, what the hell happened...just a maintenance nightmare or what?

Has nothing to do with the 924 itself, but I always viewed it as the "914 killer." AND it was anodized to slow down the evil rust we still dread today in our beloved little teeners.

Just my bad attitude. By the time the 944 and 968 came out, all was forgiven!

Paul

I have never owned one, so my advise is worthless, but I say get it! How can a hatchback that is also a Porsche not be a better daily driver than a volvo 240?

I wonder if you can drop 944 engines into those?

Does your boat need an anchor that big?

They EAT cams and lifters. The door hinges tear away from the body. A clutch job takes all day, and that's with a lift. Broken exhaust studs are common, and that, more often than not, requires the head to be removed. If it's a 4 speed, they EAT the rear mainshaft bearing, which requires the tranny to be removed, and 6-7 hours more labor to replace unless you can find the spacial tool(which is close to 30 years old). I have the tool, BTW. If it's an automatic, the driveshaft coupler is around $1200, and they break all the time.

The Cap'n

Wow, that's scary stuff. Happy I only kept mine for 4 years!

Did enjoy it (in the slow lane) while I had it, except for the A/C. Not one of my former cars that would be on the A list for re-purchasing though. Now, my '86 GTI......oooo baby! Can't forget my 65 Dart GT, or my triple black '70 Chevelle, or.........

That was a sobering post, as per usual with the Cap'n....

if i bought it, i would just drive it for awhile and sell it or dump it if it blew up on me.

I had an 81' for a while. I thought it was a nice car.

Hey! I had a red 86 GTI!! Traded it in for a Corrado. On the way to the dealer the oil light came on. AND it had a buzzer! So I buzzed for about 60 miles to trade it in. The dealer didn't care a bit.

Sorry. Mini-hijack.

Paul

If you want an inexpensive classic car to commute and have fun.... go find an '84 GTI 1.8...IMHO.

S.

Try to find a stock 83-84 GTI in decent shape.....

they are fun to drive

I'm likely to buy the first nice one I find for sale ................ IF I can beat my wife to it! The Cap'n

I think they built 15,000 of them and half are left are 3/4ths. of them have been "tuned".... fartcans ,strutbars, etc.

Those early 4 speed 924's are just plain vile.

That a porsche badge was put on that POS is one of the rare sad moments in Porsche history that we should try to let die, and never speak of again.

strut bars are ok . . . its the fartcans and pepboys "racing seats" that kill them

ive got an 88 924S, not the same car, but its got some similar parts. i know the engine in the 924 is easier to work on, plus its not an interference engine, so a broken timing belt will not be the death of the car. i drive my car every day, and have driven it in the snow with summer tires on multiple occasions (yeah im crazy) and i love it. the 924 will be underpowered, but the handling is great. if your looking for cheap fun, id say go for it. see if there is a rennlist member who is 924 savy who will do a ppi for you, that cant hurt

The Cap'n is right.. biggest piece of ever to wear the Porsche badge. I had one with a 5 speed, and it was the one with the same shift pattern as the 901 in a 914. In the time I owned it it ate 3 clutches, 2 torque tubes, 5 pilot bearings, all of the shift linkage and the console from the PO shifting it with broken bushings, the head gasket, 2 water pumps, and a LOT of my time doing maintenance. It got marginally cheaper after I figured out that I could tell the local counterman at FLAPS that it was an Audi Fox engine.

The body design was OK. After Porsche scrapped the whole drivetrain and made their own (aka the 944) it became a decent car.

While you may have TOLD the parts guy it was an Audi Fox engine, it shares VERY FEW parts with one. Like the oil filter, the oil, and the distributor cap. There may be other parts in common, but I'd have to look 'em up. While some think it's an OHC derivative of the Audi 100LS, the 924 power plant is actually a version of the VW heavy truck engine.

The Cap'n

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the electrical gremlins that plague these cars. I own a 79 and I have not experienced the problems that other folks have mentioned on this thread but the electrical problems will drive you nuts. The great thing about these cars is the fact that they are cheap to buy and if you get a good car they are alot of bang for the buck. When i bought my car I paid $1400 and drove the crap out of it for two years with my only expenses being gas and oil changes. They are fairly slow in a straight line but handle great. I used to autocross it and it routinely beat 944's and 928's in its class. The only cars that I could not keep up with in class were the 914's. Go teeners! If you are seriosly considering a 924 I suggest checking out 924.org it is a great website with alot of info on the car. Good luck!!

If you must get a 924, get eth 924S.

Has a real Porsche powerplant, more reliable drivetrain.

Find a late 944 with aluminum suspension bits that's had an engine fire and swap in the bars, mounts and suspension. It'll be narrow-body, 5-lug, and fast enough to get you in trouble.

As a former 928 owner, why go half way. If you want a hatchback and a Porsche, the 928 is the car. However, your CFO (wife) should probably be aware that 928 parts are higher than 914 parts, since none of them say volkswagon on them. Even Porsche made mistakes, and the 924 is one of them in my opinion.
Go for an 8.

Another vote for the 924S.

same car as the 944 (at least a pre 85.5 944), but lighter since it does not have the flares. Also, the 924S was galvanized, so it won't have the rust issues of the earlier 924.

For the same money you could get a 16v Gti or Scirocco and be just as happy.

Zach

I say buy it & driver the snot out of it. When it is dead trash and get another

Old 924 can be fun cars, slow, but fun. You could always look for a newer 924S or 944. I might even know someone selling his 88 944 NA

hijack..

What is the difference between the 924 and th 944 besides the flares? I never considered the 924 because they don't have the flares?

The 924 is a LOT more "slippery" and gets better fuel mileage. It may also be faster. The Cap'n

the 924S has the early interior, as opposed to the 85.5+ 944s, they have shorter gearing, and most use 15x6 phone dials instead of the 15x7

they are slightly lighter due to the narrow body and chassis..and yeah, theyre a bit faster

Do what I did to my wifes Copper 924... burn it to the ground.

Would make a good fishing reef.